Seating unit and web therefor

ABSTRACT

A knockdown-type seating unit comprises a pair of spaced, upwardly extending side panels, three horizontally spaced cross braces detachably secured between said side panels and together defining a seating frame, and an articulated web draped over said seating frame and held captive by said cross braces.

United States Patent Gilbert et al.

[54] SEATING UNIT AND WEB THEREFOR [72] Inventors: Stuart John Gilbert; Karen T. Gilbert,

[2]] App]. No.: 43,407

[52] US. Cl. ..29'7/441, 297/455, 297/457 [51] Int. Cl. ..A47c 4/02, A47c 7/14 [58] Field ofsearch ..297/218,219,228,440443, 297/445, 456, 457; 5/89, 354

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,955,687 4/1934 Scott ..297/457 X 1,987,940 l/1935 Levine ..297/457 [451 Feb. 22, 1972 Primary Examiner-Casmir A. Nunberg Attorney-Gordon W. l-lueschen and Talivaldis Cepuritis [57] ABSTRACT A knockdown-type seating unit comprises a pair of spaced, upwardly extending side panels, three horizontally spaced cross braces detachably secured between said side panels and together defining a seating frame, and an articulated web draped over said seating frame and held captive by said cross braces.

10 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEUFEB22|912 3. 643 997 I N VENTORS STUART JOHN GILBERT KAREN GILB RT un/A; g

ATT RNEY figure 3 SEATING UNIT AND WEB THEREFOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention pertains to collapsible furniture of the knockdown type which is sturdy and rigid, and which can be readily assembled and disassembled as the need arises. While knockdown type seating units are known, such units have been difficult to assemble and have lacked the necessary comfort, sturdiness and rigidity for quality furniture. It is an object of the present invention to obviate these shortcomings. Still other objects will readily present themselves to one skilled in the art upon reference to the ensuing specification, the drawings, and the claims.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention contemplates a seating unit which comprises a seating frame defined by a pair of upwardly extending side panels detachably secured together by three horizontally spaced cross braces. An articulated web provided with integral transverse loops is held captive within the seating frame by cross braces which pass through the loops. Optionally, one of the cross braces passes through a loop at one end of a retaining web the other end of which is fixedly secured to the articulated web. The retaining web depends downwardly from the articulated web.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the drawing,

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a seating unit of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of an articulated web with tufted, integral seat and back cushions;

FIG. 3 is an exploded front perspective view of a seating frame adapted to receive the web of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional elevation taken along lines IV-IV of FIG. 1 and showing an assembly detail; and

FIG. 5 is a back perspective view showing another embodiment of this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIG. 1, seating unit comprises upwardly extending side panels 11 and 12 held in a spaced relationship relative to each other by three horizontally spaced cross braces one of which is shown at 13. The cross braces are detachably mounted between side panels 11 and 12 by screw means 15, 16, and 17 or the like.

Sling 14 is provided with transverse loop 18 at one end thereof. Cross brace 13 is removably inserted into loop 18 and holds sling l4 captive within the seating frame. Tufted back cushion 19 is affixed to sling 14 at the end opposite that provided with loop 18 and is folded back unto sling 14 as shown, or it may depend downwardly from the upper cross brace when not in use.

FIG. 2 shows articulated web 20 of this invention provided with tufted seat cushion 21 and tufted back cushion 22. One or both of cushions 21 and 22 may be affixed to sling 14 which comprises seat portion 23 and back portion 24. Retaining web 25 depends downwardly from web 20 and is afiixed thereto at juncture 26 of seat portion 23 and back portion 24. The mounting loops for web 20 can be formed in any convenient manner and may be next to or in between back portion 24 and back cushion 22. Loop 27 is formed along the outer transverse edge of seat portion 23 and loop 28 is formed along the outer transverse edge of back portion 24. Cushion 21 is affixed adjacent to mounting loop 27 and cushion 22 is affixed adjacent to mounting loop 28. Loop 29 is similar to loops 27 and 28 and is formed along the free end of retaining web 25.

Mounting sleeves 30, 31, 32, and 33 are provided along the lateral edges of seat portion 23 and mounting sleeves 34 and 35 are provided along the lateral edges of back portion 24.

Web 20 is adapted for draping over a seating frame such as that shown in FIG. 3 wherein upwardly extending side panels 36 and 37 are held in a rigid, spaced relationship relative to each other by cross braces 38, 39 and 40 which are detachably fixed between panels 36 and 37 by screws 41, 42, 43, 44 and 45. Cross brace 38 is removably received into loop 27, cross brace 39 is removably received into loop 29, and cross brace 40 is removably received into loop 28. Cross braces 38, 39, and 40 are horizontally spaced from each other and preferably are situated so that the imaginary planes defined by two adjacent cross braces intersect at an acute angle.

Mounting sleeves 30 and 31 overlap upper edge 46 of side panel 36 and pass through spaced horizontal slots 47 and 48, respectively. Locking means such as a dowel or rod is then removably inserted through sleeves 30 and 31 thus holding web 20 captive in side panel 36. Typical suitable locking means is shown in FIG. 4 wherein mounting sleeve 49 of sling 14 is removably inserted through slot 50 and is held captive in panel 11 by dowel 51. Similarly, mounting sleeves 32 and 33 overlap upper edge 52 of side panel 37, pass through slots 53 and 54, respectively, and are held captive within panel 37 by a suitable locking means such as a rod inserted within the mounting sleeve. In a like manner, mounting sleeve 34 is inserted through slot 55 and secured in place, and mounting sleeve 35 is inserted through slot 56 and secured in place.

In the alternative, when side panels 36 and 37 extend upwardly somewhat higher than shown in FIG. 3 so as to provide arm rests, mounting sleeves, 30, 31, 32 and 33 first pass outwardly through suitable openings situated in side panels 36 and 37 above the respective horizontal slots 47, 48, 53 and 54, and then inwardly through said horizontal slots.

After web 20 has been fastened within the frame defined by side panels 36 and 37, and cross braces 38, 39 and 40, back cushion 22 is folded back over loop 28 and against back portion 24 so as to occupy a position similar to that of back cushion 19 shown in FIG. 1. In a like manner, seat cushion 21 is folded back over loop 27 and against seat portion 23. While the seating unit of this invention can be used without any cushions as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, it is preferred to utilize at least a tufted back cushion as shown in FIG. 1, and more preferred to utilize both a tufted back cushion and a tufted seat cushion integral with an articulated web as shown in FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 5, sling 57 is held captive by means of cross braces 58, 59 and 60 which are removably inserted through loop 61 in retaining web 64, and loops 62 and 63 in sling 57, respectively. Mounting sleeves 65, 66, and 67 pass through respective slots 68, 69 and 70 in side panel 71 and are locked in place by a dowel in the same manner as mounting sleeve 72 which is held captive in side panel 73 by dowel 74 removably inserted therethrough and retained therein by friction. Side panels 71 and 73 are detachably secured to cross braces 58, 59 and 60 by screw means such as screws 75, 76, and 77.

The articulated web of this invention can be manufactured from any suitable material such as canvas, sail cloth, naugahyde, nylon, and the like. The tufted cushions can be of the same material or different, as desired, and can be filled with foam rubber, polyurethane foam, kapok, and the like. The seat frames can be made of any suitable structurally rigid material such as wood, metal, various synthetic materials, and

the like. I

The foregoing discussion and the drawings are illustrative of the present invention but not limiting. Still other variations and arrangements of parts within the spirit and scope of this invention will readily present themselves to one skilled in the art.

We claim:

1. An elongated articulated web comprising a seat portion provided with at least one mounting sleeve along each lateral edge thereof;

a back portion affixed to said seat portion along a transverse edge thereof and provided with at least one mounting sleeve along each lateral edge of said back portion;

a retaining web depending from the juncture of said seat portion with said back portion, affixed at one end thereof along said juncture, and having another end free;

a first loop formed along the outer transverse edge of said seat portion;

a second loop formed along the outer transverse edge of said back portion; and

a third loop formed along the free end of said retaining web.

2. The web in accordance with claim 1 wherein a tufted back cushion is affixed adjacent to said back portion along the outer transverse edge thereof and is adapted to fold back on said back portion, and wherein a tufted seat cushion is affixed adjacent to said seat portion along the outer transverse edge thereof and is adapted to fold back on said seat portion.

3. The web in accordance with claim 1 wherein a tufted seat cushion is affixed adjacent to said seat portion along the outer transverse edge thereof and is adapted to fold back over said first loop onto the seat portion of said web, and wherein a tufted back cushion is affixed adjacent to said back portion along the outer transverse edge thereof and is adapted to fold back over said second loop onto the back portion of said web.

4. A knockdown type seating unit comprising a pair of spaced, upwardly extending side panels, each provided with a pair of slots therein;

first, second and third cross braces removably connecting the side panels in a rigid, spaced relationship to each other and together with the side panels defining a seating frame;

an elongated, articulated web comprising a seat portion provided with at least one mounting sleeve along each lateral edge thereof, a back portion affixed to said seat portion along a transverse edge thereof and provided with at least one mounting sleeve along each lateral edge of said back portion, a retaining web depending from the juncture of said seat portion with said back portion, affixed at one end thereof along said juncture and having another end free, a first integral loop formed along the outer transverse edge of said seat portion, a second integral loop formed along the outer transverse edge of said back portion, and a third integral loop formed along the free end of said retaining web and being substantially parallel with said first and second loops, said web being draped over said seating frame and said mounting sleeves being removably inserted in said slots; and

a locking means removably inserted in said sleeves so as to hold said web captive in said side panels;

said first cross brace being removably inserted through said first loop, said second cross brace being removably inserted through said second loop, and said third cross brace being removably inserted through said third loop; and

said first, second, and third cross braces being positioned relative to each other so as to define, together with said web, a suspended seat and back rest.

5. The seating unit, in accordance with claim 4 wherein a tufted back cushion is affixed adjacent to the back portion of said web and is adapted to fold back on said back portion.

6. The seating unit in accordance with claim 5 wherein a tufted seat cushion is affixed adjacent to said seat portion of said web and is adapted to fold back on said seat portion.

7. The seating unit in accordance with claim 4 wherein each side panel is provided with a pair of spaced, substantially horizontal slots and said web is provided with a pair of mounting sleeves along each lateral edge of the seat portion; said mounting sleeves being adapted for insertion in said horizontal slots and to be secured therein by dowels placed in said sleeves.

8. The seating unit in accordance with claim 4 wherein screw means passing through said side panels removably engage and hold said first, second, and third cross braces.

9. The seating unit in accordance with claim 4 wherein a tufted seat cushion is affixed to said seat portion adjacent to said first loop and is adapted to fold back over said first loo onto the seat portion of said web and wherein a tufted bac cushion is affixed to said back portion adjacent to said second loop and is adapted to fold back over said second loop onto the back portion of said web.

10. The seating unit in accordance with claim 4 wherein each side panel is provided with a pair of spaced, substantially horizontal slots and said web is provided with a plurality of mounting sleeves along each lateral edge of the seat portion; said mounting sleeves being adapted for insertion in said horizontal slots and to be secured therein by dowels placed in said sleeves. 

1. An elongated articulated web comprising a seat portion provided with at least one mounting sleeve along each lateral edge thereof; a back portion affixed to said seat portion along a transverse edge thereof and provided with at least one mounting sleeve along each lateral edge of said back portion; a retaining web depending from the juncture of said seat portion with said back portion, affixed at one end thereof along said juncture, and having another end free; a first loop formed along the outer transverse edge of said seat portion; a second loop formed along the outer transverse edge of said back portion; and a third loop formed along the free end of said retaining web.
 2. The web in accordance with claim 1 wherein a tufted back cushion is affixed adjacent to said back portion along the outer transverse edge thereof and is adapted to fold back on said back portion, and wherein a tufted seat cushion is affixed adjacent to said seat portion along the outer transverse edge thereof and is adapted to fold back on said seat portion.
 3. The web in accordance with claim 1 wherein a tufted seat cushion is affixed adjacent to said seat portion along the outer transverse edge thereof and is adapted to fold back over said first loop onto the seat portion of said web, and wherein a tufted back cushion is affixed adjacent to said back portion along the outer transverse edge thereof and is adapted to fold back over said second loop onto the back portion of said web.
 4. A knockdown type seating unit comprising a pair of spaced, upwardly extending side panels, each provided with a pair of slots therein; first, second and third cross braces removably connecting the side panels in a rigid, spaced relationship to each other and together with the side panels defining a seating frame; an elongated, articulated web comprising a seat portion provided with at least one mounting sleeve along each lateral edge thereof, a back portion affixed to said seat portion along a transverse edge thereof and provided with at least one mounting sleeve along each lateral edge of said back portion, a retaining web depending from the juncture of said seat portion with said back portion, affixed at one end thereof along said juncture and having another end free, a first integral loop formed along the outer transverse edge of said seat portion, a second integral loop formed along the outer transverse edge of said back portion, and a third integral loop formed along the free end of said retaining web and being substantially parallel with said first and second loops, said web being draped over said seating frame and said mounting sleeves being removably inserted in said slots; and a locking means removably inserted in said sleeves so as to hold said web captive in said side panels; said first cross brace being removably inserted through said first loop, said second cross brace being removably inserted through said second loop, and said third cross brace being removably inserted through said third loop; and said first, second, and third cross braces being positioned relative to each other so as to define, together with said web, a suspended seat and back rest.
 5. The seating unit in accordance with claim 4 wherein a tufted back cushion is affixed adjacent to the back portion of said web and is adapted to fold back on said back portion.
 6. The seating unit in accordance with claim 5 wherein a tufted seat cushion is affixed adjacent to said seat porTion of said web and is adapted to fold back on said seat portion.
 7. The seating unit in accordance with claim 4 wherein each side panel is provided with a pair of spaced, substantially horizontal slots and said web is provided with a pair of mounting sleeves along each lateral edge of the seat portion; said mounting sleeves being adapted for insertion in said horizontal slots and to be secured therein by dowels placed in said sleeves.
 8. The seating unit in accordance with claim 4 wherein screw means passing through said side panels removably engage and hold said first, second, and third cross braces.
 9. The seating unit in accordance with claim 4 wherein a tufted seat cushion is affixed to said seat portion adjacent to said first loop and is adapted to fold back over said first loop onto the seat portion of said web and wherein a tufted back cushion is affixed to said back portion adjacent to said second loop and is adapted to fold back over said second loop onto the back portion of said web.
 10. The seating unit in accordance with claim 4 wherein each side panel is provided with a pair of spaced, substantially horizontal slots and said web is provided with a plurality of mounting sleeves along each lateral edge of the seat portion; said mounting sleeves being adapted for insertion in said horizontal slots and to be secured therein by dowels placed in said sleeves. 